Kind Hearts Foundation gives basic school new home
ITS FORMER home was a tiny church on a remote hill in the community of Snow Hill, Portland. With no space for the children to play, and a discouraging distance between the school and the community, many parents struggled to take their children to the out-of-reach school. With the help of the Kind Hearts Foundation and Food For The Poor Jamaica, however, the New Wine Basic School opened the doors to their new schoolhouse in March 2015, in a new central location just off the community’s main street.
Three years later, and with everyone making plans for the upcoming school year, New Wine Basic School is still excited and celebrating the tremendous support they received in order to provide easier access to learning for so many students in the community.
KIND HEARTS CONTRIBUTION
“We’re really excited about the new school year, and we know the students are looking forward to an even more comfortable environment at the New Wine Basic School. As a community, we are very thankful to the Kind Hearts Foundation for all their assistance with building this school in our community,” said Delroy Miller, chairman of the Community Development Committee in Snow Hill. “The parents, children and all the community members stand to benefit from this, and we know that it is just the kind of change that this community needs to become better.”
Miller added, “The children love the new school, especially since they now have access to a playing field and play area which are necessary for their development. The location is nicer and much easier to get to for both the children and the parents, so that’s another burden off our heads as well.”
New Wine Basic School currently has 30 students enrolled and expects an additional eight students to be enrolled for the term starting in September 2019. Miller noted that the community is currently working on adding even more improvements to the school, such as electricity and other resources.
Christina Hudson, director of the Kind Hearts Foundation, noted, “We are ecstatic that we were able to contribute to such an important institution in the Snow Hill community. Early childhood education is fundamental to nation-building, and we hope to play a part in improving this right across Jamaica, using the proceeds from our annual Colour Me Happy Run. In 2015, we partnered with Food For The Poor, and committed US$57,100 for a fully furnished new school and playground for the students at the New Wine Basic School. During construction, we learned that accessibility to the school was an issue because the only entry way was a steep, muddy hill. We then pledged an additional J$70,000 to create a new and safer driveway and entrance to the school. We’re so pleased to see the vast improvement this project has already made in the lives of the community members.”